The Xixi National Wetland Park

The Wetland Park, located at the western part of Hangzhou City, has a distance less than 5 km from the West Lake. The wetland is rare for its nearness to the urban area. Rich in ecological resources, with natural sceneries and abundant cultural heritages made it called one of the "Three Great West's" of Hangzhou with the West Lake and Xiling (the Chinese character pronounced "Xi" means "West" . The park is now the only national wetland park that integrated the urban, farming and cultural wetlands together.

"The wonderfulness of the Xixi Brook is the water" Water is the soul of the brook. River ports, ponds, small lakes and marshes occupied about 70% area of the park, with six small rivers interweave with one another and many ports and fish ponds of fish scale shaped are evenly distributed, that is what called "a stream with a misty view"

The protection of the ecosystem of Xixi is the top priority. So the ecological protection zones of Feijiatang Pond, Xialongtan Shoal and Chaotianmu Lake and an ecological rehabilitation zone have been set up. At the entry of the park, there is an Wetland Science Exhibition Hall. Inside, there are three biological rehabilitation ponds and an ecological sightseeing zone. Moreover, Xixi is also a paradise for birds, with many bird viewing pavilions throughout the park that provide visitors a grand view of flocks of birds flying freely in the sky.

The Xixi has rich culture with long history. Since the ancient time Xixi had been a place of hermits. The cultured people regarded it as pure land and Xanadu on earth. Qiuxue'an and Bo'an, Meizhu Villa and Xixicao Institute were institutions established by many literati in history, and they have contributed many great literary works. It is said that the ancient theater below the hundred-year camphor tree at Shentankou was the debut place for the northern school of Yueju Drama artists.

The folks of Xixi are honest with rusticity. The annually held Dragon-Boat Festival race has long history with unique in style and is honored as "Kaleidoscopic Dragon-Boat" The "Xixi Household" and "The Stories of Silkworm and Silk" reproduce the daily agricultural life scenes of the original folks near Yanshui fishing village, thus make more visitors to understand the typical custom of people live on river banks.

Fishing Club

Fishing is a high-class recreational and joyful activity. The air besides the lake contains a lot of negative hydronium, which benefits to our health...

The Viewing Area of Wetland Plantation

The Viewing Area for Wetland Plantation is located between Yanshui Fishing Village and Shentankou consists of a large pond with various kinds of watery plants such as calamus, jiaobai, scirpus validus, shallot, duckweed and celery etc...

Xialongtan Shoal Ecological Protection Area

is the largest of its kind in the wetland park. There are water plants such as aloe, water chestnut, duckweed and lotus etc., with persimmons, camphor, bamboos and plums on the coasts...

Xixi Household

reproduced the agricultural life of aborigines in the village. The household exhibits the tools and articles of ancient agricultural families...

The Stories of Silkworm and Silk in Xixi

Traditionally Hangzhou has a good name as "Silk City". The unearthed silk textile products in Liangzhu are 4700 years ago and testify the long history of Hangzhou's silk industry...

Xixi Caotang

Qiuxue'an was built in the early period of Chunxi in the Song Dynasty, originally named as Dasheng'an, then changed to Zishouyuan, later superscripted as "Qiuxue'an" according to Tang poetry "The Autumn Snow Covers the Fishing Boat" by Chen Jiru in Chongzhen period in Ming Dynasty...

Xixi Caotang

was an institution built by Feng Mengzhen near Yongxing Temple in Anle Hill in late Ming Dynasty. His hobby was collecting cultural properties, so you can feel the intense tinge of culture in Xixi Caotang...

Xixi Plum Villa

is located at the southeast of the park with various kinds of plum. "Pure white shines beyond miles, likes falling snow and dancing flowers" in winter, which attracted many literati...

Shentankou

is also known as Shentan Port, which is located at the Shentankou Village in Jiangcun. It can only be reached by boat because it is an island in the lake. There are three old camphor trees on the south coast, with their thick dense leaves and branches gave the feeling of time goes by...

Meizhu Villa

was built by Zhang Cibai, a literati in the Qing Dynasty, which is located the Qiujia Gate, on the south of Bo'an. Mei(plum) represents lonely defiance, and zhu(bamboo) represents nobility and uprightness. So "Meizhu" represents Mr. Zhang...

Xixi Pavilion

is located at the southeast of the wetland and at the northeast of the Xixi Caotang. It was also the important part for the forming of the Xixi custom. It has speciality as a whole and inspires our imagination...

Bo'an

is surrounded by water and beautiful scenery and located at the south of Qiuxue'an. "An" (Caotang), means "hall for literati" and Bo'an was originally the fazenda of Zou Xiaozhi in late Ming Dynasty, then a large batch of literati came here afterwards.

Yanshui Fishing Village

There are three wonders of Yanshui Fishing Village----"yan" means mist or smoke, "shui" means water: mist of willow, mist of clouds and smoke from chimneys of kitchens.

The Entry of the Zhou Village

Walk through the Junmin Bridge, you will enter the transfer center of the Xixi National Wetland Park----Zhou Village, this is the main entry of the park zone.

The Viewing Area of Wetland Plantation

is located between Yanshui Fishing Village and Shentankou consists of a large pond with various kinds of watery plants such as calamus, jiaobai, scirpus validus, shallot, duckweed and celery etc.. Long and winding path surrounding the pond and visitors along the path will enjoy the fragrance of lotus accompanied by freshness of the view of water waves; it makes you immersed so much in such scenery.